Potato Chip-Crusted Catfish Nuggets with Creole-Spiked Sriracha Mayo
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Creole-Spiked Sriracha Mayo
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Creole mustard or coarse-grained mustard
  • 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as sriracha
Catfish
  • 1 pound catfish fillets
  • 2 tablespoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 2 (5-ounce) bags Zapp’s Salt & Vinegar potato chips or any salty kettle-style chips
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • Peanut oil
  • 1 lemon, quartered
Instructions
Creole-Spiked Sriracha Mayo
  1. In a mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Catfish
  1. Season the catfish fillets with Cajun seasoning and slice into nugget-size chunks.
  2. In the container of a food processor, empty the chips and pulse on high until completely pulverized to resemble breadcrumbs. Empty the crushed chips into a shallow bowl.
  3. In a shallow bowl add the beaten egg and whisk in the milk to make an egg wash.
  4. In another shallow bowl, add the flour.
  5. In a deep cast-iron pot over medium-high heat, heat the peanut oil to 375ºF.
  6. Working in batches, coat the catfish nuggets with flour, drench in the egg wash, and then roll in the potato chips, coating evenly.
  7. Add the coated catfish to the hot oil and fry until cooked through and golden brown, about 10 minutes. (Use a cooking thermometer to ensure the grease remains at a constant cooking temperature of 375ºF.) Drain the catfish on a wire rack placed over a paper towel-lined platter. (Don’t salt them; there’s plenty of salt in the potato chip crust.) Serve immediately with the dipping sauce along with lemon wedges. And of course, ice-cold beer.
Notes
Don’t buy pre-sliced catfish “nuggets”; they are usually a sub-par product. Buy the whole catfish fillets of fresh white flesh. Zapp’s are found everywhere in Louisiana or purchase them online at Cajungrocer.com. That said, you can try most any salty potato chip, but it is essential that they are the kettle-style chips for the right texture in this recipe. Use your favorite Cajun seasoning, but make sure it has cayenne in the ingredient list. I use a variety of oils for cooking and frying, but peanut oil is the key to fried catfish (not sure why, but it just is).
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://acadianatable.com/2021/03/08/catfish-nuggets/